LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – Saturday December 5 2009. Anna Friel exits the Theatre Royal Haymarket in a stunning polka dot dress. The 33-year-old Pushing Daisies star is currently playing Holly Golightly in the stage adaptation of Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s

hello, friends!

today i had the pleasure of thrifting at the st vincent de paul thrift store in los angeles.  let me tell you…this place is HUGE.  like, overwhelmingly huge.  i started in the dresses section, but didn’t find much.  i then headed to the blazer/suit jacket section where i found an old school calvin klein blazer – it’s so soft…can’t wait to wear it with leggings and boots!  next, i headed to the skirts and jeans area…i found a plaid/wool skirt, a pair of jordache jeans (love them!) and a pair of pants that remind me of something diane keaton would’ve worn in annie hall.  i even perused the men’s section, where i found some dress shirts, a couple of dope men’s jackets (yes, i’ll eventually have men’s clothing in my etsy shop) and a christian dior cashmere scarf for THREE DOLLARS AND 99 CENTS!!  what luck…william scoped that gem.  i also found a belt and a few shirts here and there, but my fave find was a dark teal, velour, 70’s or 80’s style boatneck sweater.  all in all, it was a good thrifting day!

on the way home, it dawned on me that i’ve been gravitating toward rich greens and blues this winter.  especially the “electric” or cobalt blue.  i think it’s a great color to add to your wardrobe, but here are a few things to keep in mind if you do.

and now for some show and tell…enjoy!

vintage 80's cobalt blue sweater (etsy bound)

the infamous modcloth cobalt blue coat

velour sweater

I dreamed I was the Earth,

reclined from sun up

to sun down across myriad miles

of golden, shifting sand blowing across the face of time.

From somewhere within the valley of my shoulder blades,

a cobalt blu race car

began its journey down the treacherous  track of my spine

As I lay, head turned,

listening  intently to its

engine purr

deeply,

softly, beyond my left ear,

I pictured you at the wheel,

silver stripped gloves,

gripping, turning, holding steady

the bumpy, boned course.

I dreamed of a race car

which, as I woke,

turned out to be

the delicate, insistent traceries

of your remarkable finger,

intent in its mission not to wake me,

as it made its way ’round the track

one more time.

Ivory silk chiffon empire waist wedding dress with hand embroidered pina bodice.

From left to right:
Emerald green iridescent chiffon dress with hidden satin wasitband.
Aubergine stretch satin v-neck dress with radiating pleats/seams.
Cobalt blue matte satin corset dress.
Slate grey wool flat front pants and matching vest with two tone silk chiffon blouse.

More photos to come!

I’ve created a newsletter subscription for anyone that wants to keep up to date with the new creations I post here at

Natural Maui Beach Sea Glass Jewelry

as well as bits and pieces of happenings around the island of Maui and Hawaii.

Yesterday I wired some beach sea glass to adorn some votive candle holders. I’m really pleased with the results and hope you like them too. I plan to include a free soy/vegetable based votive candle made by Mia Bella Candles with each votive candle holder purchase (while supplies last).

I also added a lovely light aqua blue beach sea glass pendant. I tried a new thing and layered a tiny piece of seafoam with a tinier piece of cobalt blue beach sea glass in the front of the pendant.

Last but not least is a set of Christmas green wired on white frost beach sea glass earrings and matching pendant combining two of my favorites, Christmas and the beach!

I forgot! I made up a 6 piece set of red wired on white frost beach sea glass Christmas ornaments! It’ll be perfect to capture and reflect the lights of your Christmas tree! I’ll post it now!

Mahalo for stopping by while we keep it Natural on Maui!

]]> http://naturalmaui.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/823/ Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:26:53 +0000 yoforit http://naturalmaui.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/823/

This was a pretty interesting day. There was a storm lurking around. It had rained the night before in Kahului but today was just a really overcast day with little rays of sunshine trying to peek out.

I went early in the morning with my sea glass hunting partner, Richard, my son. He’s a trooper getting up with me almost every morning early to go look for sea glass. He always ends up jumping in the water to body board though so it’s not so bad.

There was someone already there when I got there but he was looking for puka shells mostly. I managed to collect quite a bit in the morning. There’s a beautiful cobalt blue piece on the top middle of the photo below. It’s perfect with no dings or scratches. I can’t wait to make a pendant from that piece. Also another really nice find is the big aqua blue on the right. That I spotted and waited and waited and waited until it rolled right on up to me. It took awhile for that to happen but I focused on other glass until that one came to me. I quit right after I found that piece because I was getting pounded! I came back later on in the afternoon and the next photo shows that find.

Not a bad batch. The white sea glass on the top right that’s laying by the puka shell I already used to make a beautiful Christmas adornment on a votive candle holder. Photos of that will be available tomorrow.

This is my find all together for the day. Pretty good and I was happy but oh sooo tired! I got rid of a lot of glass before I took the photo and then when sorting the colors to put in their respective boxes I had to let go of more. That’s how it is. That’s why it’s important to look for sea glass every day if possible.

Mahalo for stopping by my page while I keep it Natural on Maui!

*Little Blue Dress* So I have my Little Black Dress in the closet but I think the Blue one rocks! Its HAWTTERRR!

I have been on the search for something pretty in cobalt blue for a while now. Over the summer, I’ve seen lots of blue stuff in stores everywhere but nothing that really caught my eye until today at H&M, when I wanted to jump off the escalator at the first sight of this blue dress! Knowing the price was £20 made me even happier

Apparently cobalt blue was the trend of spring/summer 2009…I’m going to stretch it beyond fall now. I was on google and decided to run a search of blue dresses and some interesting images turned up,

1. On the left, all hail Parasite Hilton (how we people on LD loved calling her that, feels super childish now…I think!).I dunno what I have got against her (apart from the fact that she was involved in the disastrous relationship with my favorite Backstreeter). I have to be honest, I love the stuff she wears most of the time and that dress actually looks pretty alright on her skinny frame. That one is just not meant for a curvy person, IMO!

2. Kelly Rowland with the disaster called make up on her face! But I’m loving the dress!

3. My favorite Hilary Duff! I can’t help having a girl crush on Hilary and I think she looks very girlish pretty in everything.

4. Beyonce! My new dress is this blue but with a glazy satin finish.

Everytime I looked at blue stuff I always wondered if I would have to buy a matching pair of shoes or accessories but after buying my first bright blue anything and googling all these piccies, I realized that the color goes along with so many other colors and can be paired up with black, gold and silver!

Now to the pattern, it is a body con dress. It has the perfect neck and length to make me feel comfortable. On days like today, I’m really happy with my shape, I’m definitely not the skinny one, I have a tiny frame but I’ve got broad shoulders, I’ve got the Hilary Duff shape going on LMAO but knowing I can fit fine in a body con is a nice feeling

Finally, I found a dress that resembles mine, could’ve just taken a picture of my dress hanging/lying somewhere but I hate unflattering images. The only difference is, mine has exposed seam pattern. Anyway, so I’ve had body con dresses in my head for a while now. I think Cheryl Cole looks really fabulous in them. I found a pic of her wearing the same pattern.

I think the best bit about body con dresses is that they show your curves so definitely look awesome on the curvy peeps. Padded bras are a savior!

The Cobalt Blue Dress

Female fashion hits another home run with this one. Blue is the color of 2 of our planet’s greatest features, the ocean and the sky. Why not place this color on our next greatest gift — the woman. Alright, maybe I got a little too poetic with that one, but the point is that the blue dress is a legit female fashion item.

And not just any blue — it has to be deep … indigo … cobalt. The idea is to achieve the effect of a moving jewel when you (the girl) walks in the room. Blue, especially one so striking, is often thought to be best left on the bodies of 17 year old homecoming queens — and that myth needs to end. I know for a fact my head would turn (and turn) if I saw a dark-haired, slender figure draped in a blue, strapless, A-line ensemble confidently sway by me. There’s no way to not notice it. The deep blue dress gets the stamp of approval from the Fashionisto!

Also, blue is my favorite color.

Between Rihanna and Kim Kardashian, it’s tough to pick which one is my favorite … dress, of course (*ahem*).

——-

Gap 1969 Jeans

Alright, Fashionisto has been reserved for female fashion since I decided to start it. Then it, randomly (aka obviously), struck me, “I’m a guy … I also wear clothes … why not highlight male fashion, too?” And here we are.

The Gap 1969 Jeans are without doubt my top pick among jeans that exist today. They’re amazing. Minimalistic and versatile, the 1969 can work for the indi-pop kid, the hip-hop jamming skateboarder, or the business class weekend warrior — doesn’t matter what you do/are, they work.

I got my first pair about 2 years ago, and still have them, actually. Where other jeans start wearing down and fading out, the 1969 remains strong. And not to mention, the fit. They legitimately feel good, especially my fit of choice, the Authentic. This fit is a seamless merging of skinny fit, straight leg, and classic — also it has a button fly, which really makes you feel like you’re doing something fashionable.

1969 Jeans are made for girls too, of course, but this is the guys sections, so I’ll worry about the ladies later, for that. Also, I’ve never worn a pair of ladies jeans, so I can’t speak on how well they fit … well, I’ve never worn a dress either, but I still review those … look, never mind, the point is I’ll go over the 1969 for girls on another day.

Guys, get your hands on a pair of these, and you’ll find it’s the only brand you purchase from now on — trust the Fashionisto!

They’d definitely look good with Humanzee.

_Reverend Zombie 12.25

Humanzee … is that you?

It’s mid-week madness in mydeco this morning but we’ve managed to keep our cool and select the juiciest gossip from the stylish world of design. I hope you’re sitting comfortably, get ready for some designer delights.

Apartment Therapy: Be King of the Castle at Fallingwater

Image credit: Apartment Therapy

Architecture geeks, have we got news for you! Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece residence built over an active waterfall in Bear Run, Pennsylvania, is now open for more than mere museum business. This idyllic abode could now be your home – well, not forever, but for a day at least!

Interior design: New products- spherical light shades

MoCo loco: Book a table with coffee table exhibition

MoCo loco: Striking lights at the Okay studio exhibition

The Daily Mail: Fearne ditches the Cotton for velvet

Image credit: The Daily Mail

We’ve known it for a while, but velvet is the chicest fabric of the moment. The lovely Fearne Cotton looked sensational last night donning this dramatic dress in cobalt blue. What’s your opinion on the velvet trend? While you make up your mind, take a look at mydeco’s pick of the top ten velvet products.

The Times:  Matteo Alessi’s flatpack house

The Telegraph: Property in Scotland

The Guardian: Pop life in motion

We mentioned Jeff Koons’ Pop Shop in yesterday’s blog, read the latest Guardian review of Tate Modern’s autumn expo.

Trendir: Sensational Staircases

Image credit: Trendir

Trendir has come up trumps with this fantastic feature on decorative staircases. The design ideas from Edilco are nothing short of spectacular! I love the foliage creeping up this spiral staircase, it really takes classic staircase design from ordinary to extraordinary!

dornob: Wall carpet gone wild

Take a look at this fun experiment; I want to have a go to!

Design Week: Crossing O’Sullivan creates Krug Room for the Dorchester

So that’s the daily round up done and dusted for the day. See you tomorrow for Thursday’s instalment.

Salad serving set, salad serving set, salad serving set – say it real fast three times. Okay, that one is not as hard as Sally sells seashells by the seashore, but it is about something I treated myself to recently.

A few months ago at the farmers’ market I enjoy attending the most in our area, I talked to a woman whose booth was full of cute gifty items like imprinted napkins and beautiful serving pieces. She beads and decorates them and does the personalized napkin imprinting herself.

Blue is my favorite color. I have some antique cobalt blue glass items that I just love and when I saw this gorgeous salad spoon and fork beaded in cobalt blue beads, I was feeling that happy shopping place feeling. But I didn’t get them the first time I saw them because we are, like everyone else we know, cutting back on the spending. Then after I got home, I decided I really wanted them. So, of course, the next few times I went to the farmers’ market she wasn’t there and I was really kicking myself for not getting them. But, happy day, she was there last Saturday and I am now the proud owner of this gorgeous salad serving set.

Each piece is about 10″ long and the set was only $29. I do have another beautiful set given to me by a friend, but they are most definitely Christmas in design and, as much as I love Christmas, I can’t bring myself to use them throughout the year.

Our salads may not be any more nutritious, but it sure is more fun serving them!

THE BACK HORN (TBH pour les intimes) est un groupe de rock japonais formé en 1998 par Yamada Masashi (chant), Suganami Eijun (guitare), Hirabayashi Naoki (basse) et Matsuda Shinji (batterie). Le groupe se fait connaître au FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL en 1999 et sortent leur premier mini-album nommé Doko e Iku. Par chez nous leur popularité grandis grâce à leur participation à l’OST de Gundam 00 (à force d’écouter des chansons de cet anime faudrait que je m’y mette moi o_o) et leur chanson Wana, utilisé comme générique. Ils participeront aussi à l’OST du film Casshern de Kazuaki Kiriya -sorti en France- avec leur chanson Requiem (qui est faut l’avouer, la seule bonne raison de voir le film… Ouais, à part la chanson et la scène qui l’accompagne -ou l’inverse ?- faut dire que le film est vraiment mauvais). Sinon entre temps, le bassiste Hirabayashi Naoki quitta le groupe en 2001 et fût remplacé l’année suivante par Okamine  Kohshu (jusque là membre de session).

Enfin, pour ceux qui ne connaissent pas encore, voilà deux clips, le premier est celui de la chanson Cobalt Blue chanson très énergique qui est ma préférée du groupe. Le second clip est celui de Namida Ga Koboretara, une des meilleures aussi. J’ai choisi ces deux chansons parce qu’elles décrivent assez bien le groupe ^^ (et c’est aussi les premières que j’ai connu avec celle de Casshern).

Photo by: Martin Vallin

Austrian designer Ali Zedtwitz has designer an autumn/winter collection for Weekday. The collection, which features 12 specially designed pieces, will hit stores this fall and prices range from 300 SEK to 1 600 SEK. Zedtwitz collection is primarily black with touches of cobalt blue and shades of pale sephia. Zedtwitz recently graduated from University of Applied Arts in Vienna.

I just recieved an invitation to an event this evening where Weekday will present the Ali Zedtwitz collection. Might see if sister wants to go.

So, I casually twittered TV’S Andy Levy how I’d like to see him in a richer, deeper, COBALT blue shirt.  He responded with cream, white, and black shirts all week.  Fine!  Be that way!!

This must be our first super-secret almost totally imagined lover’s spat.  Don’t men like to be told what they look hot in?  Maybe he thinks I’m too pushy or controlling now.  I don’t know.  It’s tough figuring him out.  It’s almost as if this whole relationship is one-sided.  In the meantime, some guy also seeking my boyfriend’s affection via twitter ”soopertrev” managed to get his question on being Catholic and homosexual read and answered by Fox News contributor Father Jonathan on RedEyeFriday night.  Now my boyfriend and him are like the best of twitter-buds.  Did I drive TV’s Andy Levy into the arms of another…man?

Many questions for this highly talented, and highly ignored young lass to ponder, indeed.  How should I manage to wash these “blues” away?  By online karaoking!!  I’m a perfectly healthy hetero girl that could’ve been a million places this weekend.  Instead, I stayed in to pour my heart out in song which is also perfectly healthy…and normal, no matter what my mom says. 

Here are some tunes dedicated to my one and only TV’s Andy Levy.

Hey There

True Blue

Dream A Little Dream Of Me

Okay, I didn’t dedicate the last one directly to him.  It’s more of a command.  Dang it!  There I go being all controlling again.  Now he’ll probably go out and share some perfectly normal hetero male bonding time with soopertrev…over apple martinis.  Good going Rene! 

In case it hasn’t been crystal clear as to how desperate I am for positive reinforcement, please become a member at SingSnap.com for free (and totally anonymously if that’s what the FBI has suggested you do) so you can comment on my tunes & rate me with STARS!  CLICK HERE TO SEE A FULL PAGE OF MY CATALOG

I am overwhelmed in with the amount of hits I’ve gotten on my blog “WEIRD SHOES” – one of my first pieces I ever wrote, thanks for all the comments on it – and its given me inspiration to do another one similar in upcoming posts, so keep your eyes open!

I wanted to share my newest favourite thing with you…. I guess you could call it an extension of yesterdays post.

I was exposed to Kate Hill not that many months ago, when I was at Moorabbin DFO – I am a sucker for airy light shop displays and this is what hers was all about as I got closer I saw just how many Handbags, Suitcases, Wallets and Accessories lined the walls and tables. I was in heaven, but unfortunatley a little poor at the time so could only settle for one handbag (A Marc Jacobs inspired cream with gold hardware number) … a few months later I invested in a cream hobo number, I have since gotten rid of the hobo one but still have the MJ Inspired one in amongst my collection.

I hadn’t thought of Kate Hill in a while until the other day when I was shopping at Knox City in Melbourne’s South East (I’d highly recommend it to anyone who hasnt been there before) and saw her shop at the top of the escalators, although it isnt as big as the DFO store it is still enchanting and sweet and pulls you toward it like a kid to candy – come to think of it I think there was big jars of candies in the window. 

At the time I was looking for a new wallet (alas, if you read my last post you will know clearly I didnt find one in Kate’s Store) and saw this BEAUTIFUL bag hanging on the shelf.  I used to be a big wearer of the fake bags, not so much any more – Ive read several articles on child labour, gangs and drug rings that are all involved in the production of counterfeit goods and have since culled all of my bags that represent that kind of thing. Nowdays, I am more into the 100% LEATHER bags in simple hues that can be picked up and taken anywhere – but they do have to have a little twist of “interesting” – I dont do PLAIN boring black leather bags! I just wont. I cant!!

I looked up and saw a grey/old school cobalt blue leather mix bag with two handles, some cute almost unrecognisable ruching and a big chunky silver chain – which also doubles as a handle.  cost $139 on sale down from $219.  I started longingly at is, but would only allow that kind of spending if I actually needed a new bag so I said goodbye to it and hoped to never think of it again….  in the coming weeks I rang Kate Hill 4 times to check the bag was still there and how many were left, whilst at the same time trying to work out how to be shifty enough to sneak to Knox in a lunch break and buy it.  I forgot about it after that – until I was at Knox on Sunday…. it was then that I saw it again – still there, and further reduced to $125.  These are the precise words that came to my head “Credit Card can fit it cant it….. we’ll give it a go” – swipe… its MINE! YAY. I got a cute bag inside a beautiful Kate Hill shopper bag with pink stripes and big black handles, one of those beautiful boutique style bags! The only thing I was annoyed about was not being at the shopping centre longer to be able to tote around my shopping bag!

Here it is…. isnt she cute!  She reminds me of some vintage number, plus there is beautiful blue and white striped lining! The clincher – the phone holder is big enough for my iPhone!

Ik weet niet wat er mis is met dit lakje, maar hij lijkt wel oud ofzo? Ik kon hem alleszins niet mooi gelijkmatig aanbrengen, hij was een beetje stroperig. Maar eens het droog was, viel het resultaat desondanks wel mee: het kleurtje is heel erg leuk!
Doet me btw een beetje denken aan een lakje dat ik als kind constant opdeed, grappig toch, een kind met blauwe nagels :’)

Gekocht bij alicejohavesentials, voor 3,99!

via here and here

via here and here

via here and here

via here and here

What an amazing collection from Giorgio Armani, don’t you think? So, upon seeing this Fall 2009 collection, I had to ask myself, is “cobalt” the new “aqua”? I love this color, always have. It screams Hollywood Glam, but does it scream fabulous to the rest of us? Well, personally I love changing things up, and am always looking for the next best color scheme to add to my decor. I don’t see this color making a huge splash in the decor world, however. I love the use of cobalt blue in fashion, and think it is a total hit, but I find it to be less universal and not as “loving of other colors” as our beloved aqua. So for now, my prediction is aqua is here to stay a tiny bit longer, and I can live with that. Yet, don’t quote me on it, because I have learned to never say never!

I spent pretty much the whole of yesterday slouched over my sewing machine, taking things in, out, up and down. Modifying some of my old designs, and putting the final touches on Michelle’s formal dress. And today I’m most likely to do the same (and re-organise my wardrobe). I’m afraid my scoliosis is going to get worse because of the slouching…

(From left) The purple chiffon and white cotton skirt: The white use to come out further than the chiffon, now I realise how much better it looks when they’re both the same length, Printed chiffon dress: I wore it on Friday and ripped the zip (blame it on then wedding food), fixed it but realised because I don’t have an over-locker the hem frays and I leave a ‘Hansel and Gretel’ like trail where ever I go. Cobalt blue, wool skirt: I bought it from the Camberwell markets 2 years ago but never wore t because it was so long. Foil lace skirt: I had to put a new elastic in because my mum wore this skirt so much that the it was stretched and I couldn’t wear it on my waist anymore. Grey, taffeta skirt: This dated back two years ago when I first started sewing. It had box pleats and a badly sewn invisible zip. So, I updated it with gathering and put in an exposed, contrasting, black zip.

I also added a layer of organza and another tier of ribbon trimmed tulle to Michelle’s dress for added ‘voompth’

XXASAB

A major color trend this Spring/Summer standing out among the usual pinks and purples is cobalt blue. I’ve never been a huge fan of the color blue until recently, and now I’m obsessed! What’s not to love? I found these items on shopstyle.com